Grimsby 1, Harriers 3

THE message from Grimsby was clear. It rippled in red and white soundwaves to Newport, Wrexham and Mansfield and shouted into the ears of Harriers’ title rivals a defiant ‘we’re going nowhere’.

This was the game that the rest of the top-five were expecting the Reds to slip-up in, where their title credentials would be exposed as flimsy.

But they could not have been more wrong.

Instead, Steve Burr’s side recorded another win over a leading side and inflicted the Mariners’ first home defeat in 15 games, to cement their position as not just play-off contenders but front-runners for the title.

In the most open battle for the top-spot in the Blue Square Bet Premier in years, Harriers are going to take some stopping, even if all the sides around them have games in hand.

While the other teams have struggled for consistency, Harriers have continued to rack up the points in ruthless fashion.

Even when they lose, like they did at Gateshead last week, Burr’s army bounce back as they made it 17 wins out of the last 20 league games.

Any doubts raised by the Heed loss were emphatically squashed by a slick display of counter-attacking as Grimsby were taught a lesson in finishing.

Red-hot hitman Anthony Malbon bagged the first of a memorable brace in the 32nd minute, ghosting into meet Mickey Demetriou’s cross to fire home.

Either side of that opening goal keeper Danny Lewis had produced two brilliant saves to thwart Grimsby’s out of form top-scorer Ross Hannah. The first saw Harriers’ impressive stopper punch away a close range header which seemed destined for the back of the net.

But Lewis topped that with cat-like athleticism to get a hand to Hannah’s close-range shot and scoop it off the line, for a save that would have made Gordon Banks proud.

Michael Gash marked his first start for the Harriers with the decisive goal before the interval with a fine move.

A few eyebrows were raised when Martin Devaney was handed his first start in such a big game.

However, the experienced winger produced a beautifully weighted pass to release Lee Vaughan into the box.

The right-back delivered a low cross, which Gash converted for his first goal for Harriers and his 15th of the season.

The hosts briefly threatened to respond with a 15 minute spell at the start of the second-half, which saw Ian Miller score for the hosts after a goal-mouth scramble.

But Burr injected new impetus into his side with the introduction of James Vincent and Danny Pilkington.

Pilkington provided the killer pass which allowed Malbon to bundle the ball over the line for his ninth goal in eight games, sparking celebrations by the 252 delirious away fans behind the goal. The rest of Blundell Park was left in stunned silence.

Harriers: LEWIS 9, L Vaughan 8, Demetriou 8, Storer 8, Malbon 9 (Rowe 90), Jackman 9, Gash 8, Briggs 8 (Vincent 64), Dunkley 8, Devaney 8 (Pilkington 73), Gowling 8. Subs not used: N Vaughan, Johnson.

Grimsby: McKeown, Thomas, Miller, Colbeck (DeVitt 54), Disley, Cook, Wood, Thanoj, Hannah (John-Lewis 66), Marshall (Brodie 80), Naylor. Subs not used: Hatton, Artus.

Referee: M Bull.

Attendance: 4,629 (252).